A Butler's Tale
by TerrierLee
Summary: A story documenting how Spencer became the Hartford butler to the recent episodes of Operation Overdrive. [Spoilers for the episode Things Not Said]


This is my first Power Rangers fanfiction. Wow. Hope you guys enjoy. This is for one of my favorite characters of Power Rangers Operation Overdrive and I would like to personally thank David Weatherley, the man who plays Spencer, for reading this.

* * *

For as long as he could remember, Spencer was the loyal butler of the Hartford family. Well, at least he was after he came back from serving in the Navy. He was in his mid-twenties at the time, at the prime of his life, looking for a sensible job that would last him till his retirement.

A promising job proposed itself when Spencer was at a local park, looking through the Help Wanted ads, most were for food joints and such, when a bright multi-colored ball rolled over to where he was sitting and tapped against his leg. Spencer picked up the ball, dirty from being played with, when a young boy ran over.

"Mister! That's my ball!" The boy stopped short of Spencer and held out his hands, like Spencer was going to just give the ball back, no problem. Spencer looked around, wondering just where his parents were. Not many people were out this early in the morning, making searching for jobs in the paper an easy task with no snot-nosed kids running all over you.

Spencer looked back at the boy, who still had his arms outstretched, face red like he was going to scream at any second. "Say boy, where are your parents?"

"Gimme back my ball!"

Spencer blinked, "Come now, your parents must be worried sick about you." He stood, "Let's go find them." He shifted the ball so it nestled under his right arm and reached over with his other hand to grab the boy's hand. The boy lurched back, his face pulsing red.

"GIMME BACK MY BALL!!! GIMME! IT'S MINE! MINE!!" The boy shoved himself forward at Spencer's legs, reaching up for his ball with intense fury for a young kid when a woman's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Andy!" A woman about a little older than Spencer ran up to the two, swiping the little boy up in her arms, "What have I told you about running off! Your nanny was worried sick about you! You know your father comes back from his trip today! Why would you run off?"

The little boy, Andy, huffed and crossed his short arms across his arms. He acted as though his mother was not even there. "I want my ball."

But his mother didn't hear him. She continued her ranting, waving her free arm around in the hair, before her hand smacked Spencer right in the shoulder. She stopped and looked up at the man before her. "Oh my. Oh I'm so sorry! Was my son bothering you?" She plopped her son on the ground and clasped her hands together. "I'm terribly sorry! He's normally not like this. You see, his father is finally coming home from his trip, and I guess my Andy got so excited!"

Spencer took a step back. This little family was odd and… he looked at her clothing, nicely dressed. Everything looked recently bought, and at a glance at the agitated boy on the ground, he was dressed the same. Spencer was about to tune back into the woman's mindless chatter when he caught the boy's eye.

And it was when he caught that fierce glare that he remembered the ball under his arm. He released it, and was about to hand it over when Andy's mother saw it and gave a small gasp. She took the ball from Spencer, and before anyone could say anything, she squeezed it till her sharp nails pinched holes in it, letting the hair out. She looked over at her son, her eyes hard, before dropping the limp ball on the ground. She reached forward and grabbed her son by the arm, "Andy, we're going home now."

Andy mournfully looked at his deflated toy, his eyes tearing up.

Spencer's heart went out to the boy. He didn't know what was up with this family, but surely she didn't have to ruin her son's toy. The boy's mother turned to Spencer, her eyes now bright, matching her sudden smile. "Thank you so much for watching my son for me. But I'll take him now. Come Andrew." She gave Spencer a nod and walked off, tugging her son to follow. The boy looked at Spencer, his eyes pleading for help, and Spencer wouldn't stand still any longer.

"Excuse me Miss…"

The boy's mother stopped, looking back at him, "Hartford."

He nodded, "Miss Hartford." He stopped. There was something familiar about that name… He looked at the woman, then the boy, and a picture of a man appeared in his head. "Wait a minute, you mean… as in the famous Hartford? The billionaire who made his entire fortune after uncovering a major civilization?"

Mrs. Hartford nodded. "Yes, that Hartford."

Spencer wiped his hands down the front of his shirt, "Excuse me madam, but is your house requesting employment?"

She tapped her chin. "We might. I have to check with my husband." She looked down at her son. "Are you good with children?"

He nodded, "Oh yes madam. I have many cousins, and I took care of most of them."

Mrs. Hartford gave Spencer a quick sizing up look, before nodding. "Alright. Come to the Hartford estate tonight, my husband should be home by then." She turned away from Spencer, not waiting for a reply. "Come Andrew, we must get you ready to see your father."

And with that, the two walked off, and Spencer took a seat at the bench behind him. Well, this was interesting.

Spencer arrived at seven that night, to the Hartford estate, and it took a moment for Mrs. Hartford to even remember that she requested his appearance. When he went into the mansion and was escorted to the dining room, he saw no little boy running over the place. Mrs. Hartford took a seat and made a gesture to Spencer, "Please, have a seat. My husband is running a little late tonight."

It wouldn't have mattered really, if Mr. Hartford was late or not, but it turned out that he was unaware his family was awaiting his return, too caught up in trying to find the Corona Aurora. In the end, after dinner, Mrs. Hartford hired Spencer to take care of her son, Andrew, while she was busy planning parties and the like and had no time for her son.

Andrew, as it turned out, wasn't that bad once you got to know him, as Spencer soon found out, taking the boy to the batting cages, signing him up for baseball, cheering him on throughout the game, even if Hartford couple never appeared. He also cheered Andrew on throughout his high school years, and soon college, and eventually, Andrew's parents died one by one, first his father, who died in an avalanche and wasn't found for at least a week and soon followed by his mother, who developed cancer from her many tanning sessions with her girlfriends.

Andrew never really noticed though, except when the lawyer came and read out the will of his parents, who gave him the house but let the servants be free. But the only one who stayed was Spencer, who was given a job as the butler.

The years passed by quickly after that, Andrew was mostly on his father's lost quest to find the Corona Aurora, so Spencer was mostly left by himself in the huge Hartford Mansion. Until one day Andrew made a surprise visit, followed by a man carrying a huge box.

"Sir?"

Andrew looked over at his good friend and butler and grinned before nodding at the man who followed him, "Thanks Gary." Gary nodded and was never seen again. Andrew's grin only enlarged itself as he looked around the room for something to open his box.

"Excuse me sir, but what exactly did you get this time?" If it was another mummy…

Andrew jumped and gave a shout of joy; he held a crowbar tightly in his hands. He raced back over to the box and started to try and open the box. The box gave a screech of a noise before Andrew successfully got the top off. Spencer leaned in from a safe distance, trying to catch a glimpse at what his employer got his hands on.

Though certainly, Spencer would have never guessed a robot. That night, Spencer helped set up the machine, while Andrew chattered away about the benefits of having a robot for a son, and how even though he never had the time to settle down, a son was all he waited anyway, as a wife would hold him down. They worked through the night and by the next day, the robot was moving in twitches. The only excited Andrew more.

Within the next week, the robot was given skin and an emotional program. Andrew wanted this android to be like any other kid. Spencer worried for his sanity, at least what was left of it. Searching for that crown probably drove his father crazy.

A month passed and the android was ready for testing. Andrew named it Mack. They came up with memories so nothing would seem out of the ordinary. Spencer suggested they go fishing, and to add to that, it caught a huge fish. It was Andrew who decided to break Mack's arm when he was five. The boy needed some concept of pain, Andrew argued.

Three months passed and Mack was fully operational. The boy was interested in the craziest novels full of all sorts of adventures. He took after his father no doubt, Spencer mused.

Two years later, Mack was finally told the truth, though Spencer wanted so much to tell the boy what he really was much much earlier. It hurt to lie and it hurt to see Andrew purposely hurt his son so he could see the emotion program work effectively.

And maybe it's crazy, but when Mack gave that look to Andrew, after being told the truth of his nature, the pain in the young android's face shocked Spencer back to that day at that park, when he first met Andrew Hartford.


End file.
